Home automation systems, which have become increasingly popular, may be used by homeowners to integrate and control electrical and/or electronic devices in their homes. For example, a homeowner may connect appliances, lights, blinds, thermostats, cable or satellite boxes, security systems, telecommunication systems, and the like to each other via a wired or wireless home network. The homeowner may control these devices using a controller or user interface. The controller or user interface may be provided via one or more control devices, e.g., a tabletop or wall-mounted keypad, a wall-mounted touch screen, a phone, a tablet, a computer, and the like. The control devices may be directly connected to the home network or remotely connected, e.g., via the Internet. The control devices may communicate with each other and/or with the controller to, for example, improve the control devices' efficiency, convenience, and/or usability.
Some of the control devices may each comprise a visual display, such as a light-emitting diode (LED) display, for communicating information to a user and/or receiving user inputs. The visual display may be illuminated (e.g., via a backlight) in a dark space. The visual display (and/or the backlight) may be turned off when the control device is not being used, for example, to save energy. For instance, the control device may comprise a proximity sensor mounted on the control device adjacent to the visual display for detecting when a user is near the control device. The visual display of the control device may be automatically turned on and illuminated when a user's presence is detected. The control device may comprise an ambient light sensor mounted on the control device adjacent to the visual display for adjusting the backlight intensity of the visual display in order to provide optimum viewing of the visual display in the present ambient light. However, the addition of a proximity sensor and/or an ambient light sensor to each control device having a visual display may increase the cost of the control devices. The control devices may also need to be physically bigger in order to accommodate the sensor(s).
In another situation, multiple control devices may be installed next to each other, e.g., in a multi-gang electrical wallbox. Two or more of the control devices may each include an illuminated portion (e.g., the visual display described herein), and an ambient light sensor mounted adjacent to the illuminated area for measuring a light level around the control device and adjusting the intensity/brightness of the illuminated portion. The measurements taken by the ambient light sensors, however, may not always be the same, for example, due to each sensor's installation position and/or the direction of ambient light sources. Such inconsistent measurements of the light level may cause the illuminated portions of adjacent control devices to appear differently. Usability and/or aesthetic appeal of the control devices may be affected as a result.